Saturday, January 21, 2006

I wanted to use my new camera; So I decided to take a quick hike up Ferguson Canyon.

This is actually a first for me. I've managed to label the pictures with 24 hourse of taking them. I usually end up letting several years lag between taking and labeling.

The pictures were taken in megabyte resolution. I compressed them down to 100k for display on the web.

I have a set of photos taken during the summer of the same canyon that I will upload shortly.

Hiking through Ferguson canyon made me distraught. Like the south Fork of Neff Canyon, Ferguson Canyon was filled with rich loamy soil that is getting trampled. Coco tends to run off trail. Watching her run, I could see the soil being broken up. (NOTE, the upper part of the canyon is 45 plus degree slope with loose soil. A dog running back and forth through that soil does damage.)

Much as I love dogs, I've found that I really hate taking them on mountain walks. Dogs stress the wildlife. They get in the water. Running off trail in riparian zones can affect the fauna in an area. Most areas, of course, can withstand a dog or two.

Anyway, I've decided against taking regular walks in this canyon. Coco is best suited for grass covered parks where she can run and catch frisbees.